You Want Sango…
by lilkoisuru
Summary: Miroku is silent. Inu-yasha stands up, annoyed... "What" "You want Sango…" …He looks up and the houshi is gone. R & R
1. The First Chapter

You Want Sango...  
  
First Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-yasha characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. Thank heavens there's fan fictions, ne?  
  
BEE'S NOTE: Hello. This is really just an itch I'm scratching. I would like to thank Inu-shounen for the idea in the first place. I want to do an Inu-yasha/Sango fic, and here's my first attempt. Flamers, go ahead. I don't really care. It's just something I'm trying out. Thanks.  
  
And normal reviewers without flames, thanks for your interest!  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 1 -  
  
Confession  
  
"No no no no!" he waves his hand frantically above him, ineffectively trying to guard himself from the pissed girl above him. "It... It's not how it looks! I... I thought you were Kagome!"  
  
Flames spurt from her eyes, gleaming as red as her cheeks. She brings the boulder down one final time on to Inu-yasha's now-bumpy coconut of a head. "Next time, I get the clippers and rid you of that mane of yours, you pervert!"  
  
"Honestly, Sango! I would never go after you! Not when I have Kagome..." Then he says something despite himself and his instincts. He just wanted to make Kagome angry instead of Sango. "...or Kikyo."  
  
A scream spins him around and he dodges a hurtling pineapple juice box just in the nick of time! "What?! What do you mean '...or Kikyo'?"  
  
"No no no no!" Crap!  
  
The onlookers, a kitsune kit and a rather unamused monk, are on the side-lines, staying out of this odd fight. Miroku looks on, his chin resting on his hand, and he is not laughing. He sits up and walks away. I can't believe how the tables have turned, he thinks.   
  
Shippou, perched on the houshi's shoulder, is laughing his childish head off. "Inu-yasha! What's wrong?! Got cooties or somethin'?!"  
  
Inu-yasha picks himself up. "Keh! What do you know?"  
  
"Good point, Inu-yasha," a pissed miko spits out. "What do you know yourself? Even if it was me, what were you planning to do in the first place?"  
  
Sango stands over the poor, confused pup. "Exactly. What's the big idea waking me up, staring at me so closely?!"  
  
"I forgot you were in her sleeping bag thing!"  
  
"C'mon, you fool! My scent is different from hers! And you kissed me anyway!"  
  
Kagome stands there, dumbfounded. She is thrust into way-past-confused mode. She finds her mind is somewhere between lost down a hole after a rabbit who is late and wearing a checkered dress calling out "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!"  
  
"H-he did that?! Inu-yasha! What the hell is going on here?"  
  
"Keh! Like I owe you any answers. If it really was you, you'd have gone along with--"  
  
"Osuwari!"  
  
* WHAM! *  
  
Inu-yasha looks up, watching that brat walk off. Keh. Who needs her?  
  
Shippou goes off to console the rumpled girls, leaving Miroku and Inu-yasha behind in the rubble of juice boxes, broken boulders, and deep Inu-yasha-shaped imprints in the ground.  
  
"So, what were you really doing?"  
  
With a "Keh!" Inu-yasha rolls over, away from all the others. He did not want to tell anyone what he was really doing, that he was falling for a demon exterminator named Sango.  
  
He sits up and crosses him arms, letting them hide in his sleeves.  
  
"Did you really mean '...or Kikyo.'?"  
  
He twists his neck to face Miroku. He sees the sincerity in Miroku's eyes; he was really trying to help. Inu-yasha's eyes soften and he sighs. "No, I didn't mean it. I don't want Kikyo."  
  
"Then you want Kagome?"  
  
"No... not Kagome."  
  
" . . . . "  
  
Miroku is silent. Inu-yasha stands up, annoyed, his temper already beginning to simmer again, speeding to its tired boiling point. "What?"  
  
"You want Sango..."  
  
Inu-yasha looks down, and Miroku sees it all in his eyes and in his blush.  
  
The hanyou closes his eyes and curses. He looks up and the houshi is gone. Even Inu-yasha's ears did not hear Miroku trudge away.  
  
********************  
  
End First Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
lilkoisuru: It was short. It's just a taste for now, since it is the first chapter. 


	2. The Second Chapter

You Want Sango...  
  
Second Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-yasha characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. Recap: I don't, she does. Thank you! Come again!  
  
BEE'S NOTE: I promise this chapter will be much longer. I wrote the first chapter rather quickly, just dipping my feet into the idea; just letting it digest in my mind. Reading digestion works best with a short first chapter, so as to not overwhelm the reader and the writer. Read on.  
  
Thank you for the reviews. I have more reviews than all my other fics put together! Bwah ha ha ha hah!  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 2 -  
  
Fire's Affect  
  
What is fire?  
  
What happens as a fire dances boldly in a despairing man's eyes? Does it just burn starkly to cause him to merely rationalize away its magic; its light being nothing but burning wood and flying smoke? Or does he ignore all logic and keep dreaming of things that could, but never will, be?  
  
And for hours on end will this person receive blessings from this fire? From the heat he may keep warm enough to keep his thoughts in a straight line, instead of wandering aimlessly like a lost fox caught in a dark, cold cave. Its light can keep his eyes forward, on something actually there; otherwise, if the eyes are turned away, they will come to see nothing, save dark fears and black thoughts, darker even than that of the darkness surrounding them. The scent of smoke can keep him hungry, which will help him know that he can still feel. As the time creeps by, the fire will save him.  
  
What is a man?  
  
Sitting by this long-burning fire can do a lot to a man--and to damage him--as well, no question. The spouting ash can creep around him, dancing like soulless ghosts, keeping him aloft of reality, making him dizzy from its air-borne ballet. The crackling sounds can hypnotize, where even the brightest thoughts can begin to dim much like the fire itself, when unattended. The fire will condemn him.  
  
********************  
  
Through the dense, thick trees of a forgotten forest, a dimming glow courses through time, conquering the empty silence. Tending it is a darkened figure, repeatedly poking the fire once more, coaxing it to life again.  
  
This man is alone. He has been so for a long time. The cold has long since been forgotten to him. Settling down on the cold earth once more, the figure takes his staff in his hand and sighs, releasing a puff of crystalizing breath, a cloud of worry and regret.   
  
His thoughts swirl and ebb much like the dancing enities of smoke before him. His mind births more and more thoughts, like the fire births more and more smoke. Together they rise up to the heavens then disappear, with nothing but more thoughts and flames to follow.   
  
His mind is caught between the two worlds granted by fire, of being saved and of being damned.  
  
Tears have long since gone now, and all the dark figure can do is stare ahead at this glowing friend, this burning enemy.  
  
I took too long. And I have no chance against Inu-yasha.  
  
One thought comes...  
  
Why did I run away? Without everyone, how can I ever defeat Naraku and end my legacy?  
  
And another one follows.  
  
"You want Sango..." he had heard himself say. Terror swam through him as he witnessed the hanyou not deny it.  
  
It was too much for him; he had to leave.  
  
And here he is now, alone again.  
  
********************  
  
"Tie off, please. I need more support on this side."  
  
"Urf. I'm trying, wench!" an aggrivated Inu-yasha responds breathlessly. He screams at the rope, "Make me more rope!"  
  
The rope named Shippou cries, "I'm all stretched out. Bleh..."  
  
The hanyou loses his tight grip and loses his balance, causing the tree-borne Kagome to hurtle to the ground with a loud thump.  
  
"Itai!"  
  
Inu-yasha turns away. "Keh."  
  
"Well, that was a waste of time! Look at this! My tail's all mooshed!"  
  
Inu-yasha's ears perk up as a new scent arrives on the scene. He turns, breathless, to see Lady Sango, who is walking past him to the fox youkai and the amature miko. He exhales when she does not seem to notice the blush on his dirty face.  
  
"What are you guys doing?"  
  
Kagome walks up, glaring at Inu-yasha. She points to a small column of smoke in the distance. "We think that's Miroku's fire."  
  
Shippou turns from his task of fluffing his tail, and chimes in, "And we were trying to see if we can see him from here."  
  
Sango hears a familiar "Keh!" and turns around. "Yeah, and it's a huge waste of time, too!" she hears the dog hanyou say.  
  
"No one asked you, Inu-yasha." Kagome huffs off to her sleeping bag and crawls in.  
  
Wow, tensions have been high ever since Kagome found out Inu-yasha kissed me, Sango allows to pass through her mind as she glances over to the hanyou once more.  
  
His deep eyes are to hers and she simply stares back, reading them. Inu-yasha quickly tears his glance away, blushing yet again, thanking the gods for the concealing dirt on his face. He hears Sango sit down near him, and feels the back of his head blaze from her stare.  
  
"You know why Miroku's gone, don't you?"  
  
The dog-boy flinches.  
  
********************  
  
End Second Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
lilkoisuru: Not much longer, but it happens when you put just enough into a chapter. Good writing isn't in length, but in content. I'm not saying I'm good, but I'm trying to pace myself. Thanks for the reviews.  
  
Shippou: Yup! Now that I'm here, gimme a candy!  
  
Inu-yasha: She don't have any! :: looks over at lilkoisuru. :: But you have ramen, right?  
  
lilkoisuru: :: pulls out a lollipop and a bowl of freshly-cooked ramen. :: To thank you for your help, dig in!  
  
Inu-yasha: Mmmph!  
  
Shippou: Mmmph! 


	3. The Third Chapter

You Want Sango...  
  
Third Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-yasha characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. I also do not own "Manwich"-brand sloppy joe sauce. She's earned it, darn it! Writing and drawing for an original story is tough work!  
  
BEE'S NOTE: This fic, by the way, is dedicated to the hard work and mutually Inu-yasha-obsessive friend of mine, Inu-shounen!   
  
On a different note, in this fan fiction, I am in no way against the traditional Inu-yasha/Kagome pairings. I even wrote one, "The Prayer Beads," and I enjoyed every second writing it. I just wanted to try something new and unexpected. I appreciate all the criticism! Thank you so much!  
  
I love this fic! It's also helping me with my sanity issues. I've been regaining my mental composure; with this, however, I can lose it all finally!  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 3 -  
  
On the Wind  
  
The cold winds from the west blow inward across the land, bringing a frigid front, an icy storm. One single fleck of snow drifts, winding down from the zenith, only to be instantly obliterated on a little fox's tongue.  
  
"Got one! I'm so good at this!" rings Shippou's voice.  
  
Kagome squeals with delight as her form of acknowledgement. "Let me try now!" and with that, she thrusts her tongue out into the frigid air.  
  
She had brought more new things from her time for her friends to try. New flavors of ramen, like Spicy Beef, Chicken Vegetable, and French Onion--the latter of which sounded kind of gross to Shippou; frozen foods, like peas, "tator tots", and something with little, tiny, itty-bitty corn cobs mixed in; and other things which she called "hamburger" and "Manwich sauce."  
  
Shippou and Kagome joyfully prepare to cook the meat, now thawing on a rock near the small fire. The little miko is spreading oleo on the round bread termed "buns." Meanwhile, as his way of helping, the fox kit is looking at the colorful can full of juicy, sweet goodness, trying to figure out how to open it and have a taste.  
  
Elsewhere, the taiji-ya and the hanyou are gathering spare pieces of firewood for after the evening meal's supply is diminished. Inu-yasha was happy--more than happy--to go gather firewood when Kagome asked him to. He needed to get away. He, however, also needed Sango to come along as well, so they can talk more privately.  
  
Inu-yasha keeps his eye on Sango, who has willingly joined him in hopes of learning the truth. As she sweeps down again, swiftly gathering sticks and twigs, he looks down at his one small log, realizing how distracted he must be. Figuring she is bound to notice his pathetic attempts to be helpful, the half demon takes a breath.  
  
"Sango, I... I got to tell you something."  
  
She stops gathering. Being somewhat winded, she figures she could use a break, so she stands up straight. Sango looks him over, assessing the nature of his message through his body language and his facial expression. The quasi-demon is standing tall with a sort of child-like innocence to him, holding that one piece of wood. She smiles when he shrugs and puts the piece of large kindling on the cold, dry ground. "I'm starting a pile," he says matter-of-factly, and she laughs. His face shows signs of practiced humility, skillfully hiding his true intentions. One thing is for sure, however. He knows what happened to Miroku.  
  
After allowing a moderate amount of time to pass, Sango takes a small breath. "What is it, Inu-yasha?" she inquires, breaking the drifting silence.  
  
He jumps slightly, as if he had forgotten she was even there. "Umm... I wanted to tell you how... how Miroku came to... um... to--"  
  
"Inu-yasha! Sango-chan! C'mon! It's time to eat!" a shrill voice sounds through the woods. The voice belonged to Kagome.  
  
Damn, Inu-yasha curses in his mind.  
  
Sango sees his face change and senses that he is angry. No, not angry; disappointed. "So you do know why he disappeared."  
  
"I-- UMPH!!"  
  
Inu-yasha feels himself fall back from some small force plummeting into his stomach.   
  
Shippou leaps away before an angry fist can clap him on the noggin. He leaps out daringly again, and laughs, "Come on, you slow pokes! I'm hungry!" His errand done, he rushes off back to the waiting chef named Kagome.  
  
"Come on, Inu-yasha. Let's go eat." With that, the taiji-ya treks off toward camp. I'll talk to him again later.  
  
********************  
  
Winding through the woods extending for miles and miles lies a worn path. Through trees, around open spaces, under concealing thickets full of black-fledged magpies, and over cavernous drops, it winds continuously. Many scents are found winding along with it--both scents to seek and scents to avoid. Here lay a game trail, an ambiguous buffet line for hungry youkai.  
  
Across it blows the easterly wind, continuously gliding across the land, importing more and more scents. Among these traces are the immediate scents of cooking meat and of two female humans, an adolescent youkai, and a male hanyou.  
  
Something has found these specific essences. Something hungry. Something big.  
  
A black nose sniffs the air, followed by a hot, steamy breath. A wedge-shaped ear turns back, inquiring the sound of other possible near-by pursuers of raw flesh. Glistening, black-green eyes scan the landscape and follow their way down the trail ahead, for victims of the hunt are nearby. A lolling tongue exudes with anticipation of obtaining a cold-weather rarity: hot, fresh blood mixed with the intoxicating scent of fear chasing the wind.  
  
The waning moon, silently creeping across the sky, blanketed silenty by fleshless clouds, lights her way. She pursues her target on massive, clawed paws, each leaving the perfect imprint of a wolf's--rounded and clawed. Faster and faster she soundlessly treks through her forest. Her heart begins to thud harder, but the sound does not inhibit this creature in any way. A howl fights its way up--life hunger, deep emotion, a wailing song--and bursts into the snow-drift night.  
  
In the freshly-fallen virgin snow, she hides between the trees, waiting, tasting, lusting. Here waits a white she-wolf youkai. She has found them and she is waiting.  
  
********************  
  
Sango is cleaning her hands from the evening meal, wiping them in the sparkling snow. She listens to the quiet voices of the night: a winter owl, a scurrying rabbit, a lone wild cat. Her heart suddenly skips a beat and she feels her body tense up. Her eyes become more attuned to the night's darkness; her ears begin to pick up anything potentially dangerous. She sits up and looks around.  
  
"I feel..." she utters to no one. ...like when I am facing a dangerous youkai, she finishes in her head.  
  
The feelings and alertness fade suddenly. She gets up quickly, and rushes to the campsite.  
  
Everyone is huddled around the fire, which is now healthily dancing, mocking the darkness. The sudden snow flurry from earlier in the day had caught them off-guard. The day has now been taken from them and they must try to compensate via the friendly fire.   
  
The only one not snuggling closely to the fire is Inu-yasha. Up high in a tree, his grasp around his father's legacy, his Tetsusaiga, the guardian is drowsily watching the clouds slip across the moon. The sleepy wind plays in his silver-washed locks.  
  
A twig snaps soundly; he breaks his stare from the orb of dark light. He sees Sango looking at the base of his tree, seemingly deep in thought. He watches her for a time, to see if she knows he even is up here.  
  
"Inu-yasha."  
  
His left ear twitches involuntarily upon hearing his name. Watching her face, he discovers she knows he is there. Her eyes are moving upward, her glance regarding the branches of his post. Leaping down silently, he stays in his crouch, and looks up at her.  
  
"Inu-yasha, there's something watching us. I can feel it."  
  
He can feel her fear.  
  
"Could it be Miroku?" he suggests etherially. Scenting the air, Inu-yasha perceives nothing as a threat. His golden-glowing eyes scan around him, into the rough bushes and the stretching trees around the area. With the light of glowing fire, he attempts to see any reflecting eyes surrounding them; but, alas, there is nothing but the dark and familiar nothingness between the branching arms of the forest.  
  
"It's okay, Sango. There's nothing out there. Just silence. It is the night of first snow. It is enough to make even me a little edgy; otherwise, I would be asleep by now. Go rest, all right? I'll keep a vigil over the area... um... for you."  
  
After a heart-felt yawn, she mumbles out an "Okay. Good night," and shuffles off to bed.  
  
Making sure Lady Sango has safely gotten to her bed, Inu-yasha scans the area. He studies the area thoroughly, hand on his blade, ready for any danger, any threat. He quietly, calmly, does a quick perimeter check, satisfied there is indeed nothing malicious out there. He slides by the fire, passes the sleeping Kagome and snoring Shippou. After glancing finally at the now-slumbering Sango, he leaps up to his branch. To the singing of the wind in the rustling leaves, the hanyou falls asleep alone.  
  
********************  
  
The "rustling wind" is still watching her prey from a nearby impression in the ground. She is ready; they are asleep.  
  
She can now attack at her leisure.  
  
********************  
  
End Third Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS: None this time; too tired. Thanks so much for the rapid reviews. 


	4. The Fourth Chapter

You Want Sango...  
  
Fourth Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-yasha characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do not own the text in which I am typing this. I do not even own the music I am currently listening to.   
  
I do own my mate's heart, though, so that's something.  
  
BEE'S NOTE: I am writing some more, thank goodness. I have not had as much free time lately, but updates are hastening steadily as my writer's block is ending right when I have a few free hours.  
  
That's all boring facts. No one wants to hear about things like spaces between updates and free time, so...  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 4 -  
  
Real Pain  
  
The wind blowing through the trees holds almost an accursed air. Presently no warmth can be found, and only the sound of shaking skeleton trees dead from empty sadness and dark deprivation from the dank land will be heard tonight.  
  
In this bitterness, Miroku looks around to see only dark roots and dry, low-hanging vines. There is nothing there to keep him, so he keeps moving, prevailing against the landscape, dodging left and right any tangled obstacle in his way.  
  
A sudden tug at his right wrist diverts his attention, only to see a lone vine twisted around the offending area. He begins to pry the dangling root from his forearm, but it merely grasps on tighter. So he yanks at it with more force, but to no avail.   
  
"Oh, come on!" He twists the plant, and turns it this way and that to coax it from his arm. It remains, only tightening its grip, cutting off his blood flow.  
  
Panic overcomes him.  
  
He begins to claw desperately at it, pleading for its release and for his freedom. Its response is only to rip open his kazaana further, releasing a howling force of wind. Before he knows what is happening, the deafening scream of his wind tunnel pulls him in.  
  
From the dark void, a deep, low howl ruptures.  
  
He lets out a gasp, sitting up. The wind is gone; his hand is fine. There is only silence around him, save the dull crackling of a fire to his left.  
  
"A dream..." He slowly rubs his head.  
  
The same lowly wail from his dream--only distant--veers his attention. He turns his head to listen more closely, and recognizes it is a wolf sounding, in a desperate cry. The weeping howl is coming from behind him somewhere. The houshi realizes his former companions are occupying that area.  
  
********************  
  
Blood is scattered everywhere, and only Kagome, Sango, and Inu-yasha are still conscious. Fighting tragically they face the hungry she-wolf. She had attacked so suddenly. So rapidly had Inu-yasha's right arm been bitten and snapped when he tried to draw his blade; so quickly had Kagome lost her last arrow to a thick, indomitable snow-tinged fur coat, and suddenly found she harbored a huge gash on her left leg, leaving a bright red-soaked sock. She can no longer stand, but can only lay there shielding a seemingly-dead Shippou with her own body, waiting to fall into the warm darkness of sleep.  
  
Inu-yasha cannot give up, and there is no possible way he will give up. He has to protect his friends, even at the cost of his own life. He told Kagome to run, but she is not able to now. He managed to draw the wolf away from the campsite, and is now struggling to protect Sango.   
  
Well, she is the only fighter remaining, he rationalizes to himself upon seeing the look of surprise on the taiji-ya's face. He reads her visage as shock, apparently from his neglecting Kagome to shield her. He still will not allow himself to claim his feelings for Sango yet; well, not so openly, anyway.  
  
A feral scream from Kirara to the hanyou's right causes him to turn his head. He sees Sango crying, rushing to Kirara's limp body.   
  
"...before she could even grow into her full youkai form," she tells anyone listening with tear-filled eyes. She begins muttering quietly to Kirara that she had dreaded something like this happening, that her little kitten would get injured in her most vulnerable stage between her small feline form and her saber-tooth form.   
  
Taking her small friend's body to her chest she says a small prayer to any God that may be listening. Tragedy changes her face to a blank stare.   
  
She places the cat next to Kagome's and Shippou's crumpled forms.   
  
Crying bitterly, she stands up slowly and turns toward the crouching she-wolf. Sango herself has not been injured at all, as she was sleeping out of line of eye, ear, and scent of the hunting wolf when the attack came. She turns to see Inu-yasha struggling to control the Tetsusaiga with his weaker, bruised left arm. Evidently, he is trying desperately to find the wind scar. Dumbly she watches him swing the fang down, slashing pathetically at the vein of wind between the hunter and the hunted, crying out a wordless sound as he does so. The wolf merely kicks away, dodging the gash perfectly.  
  
Sango calmly walks in between them, eyes spilling pure emotion; she is unable to contain herself now. Her dark rage has been triggered, half by the fall of her cat and half due to the mockery of all of Inu-yasha's efforts. Quietly she lifts her boomerang bone, standing at ready.  
  
As tension builds the wolf's hackles rise up. She leaps for Sango's throat.  
  
The latter swings her weapon to strike, deafened by the sound of the scream protruding from the white wolf's fanged mouth. The last thing she hears is Inu-yasha's outcry out against Sango's action.  
  
The taiji-ya did not feel the pain initially. As she fell to the ground, it felt like she was separate from her body, as if time had slowed down. Lightning bolts of twisted pain slashes through her body as the blood begins to flow through her wounds, notifying something was wrong. She woozily lifts her head, watching her trembling hand move to her chest. She feels warmth of blood, not quite grasping she has been injured mortally.   
  
A sudden sound erupts from Inu-yasha's direction. She turns her blurred eyes to a vision of her comrade staring wide-eyed at her, breathing unnaturally, eyes changing to a blood red. Another cry bursts forth from the hanyou as he curls into himself.  
  
"N-no... S-Sango! Sangoooo--RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!" The shout of her name rushes into a wild outburst of anger and bliss. Inu-yasha has now fully reverted to his youkai form. He rushes forth, his hair wildly lapping about his shoulders, his eyes rushing to his prey. An ominous grin holds oversized fangs that are ready to kill; two stripes hold his cheeks. He bursts anew with rapture. He is going to kill!  
  
"Sango!" cries the familiar voice of a certain monk.  
  
********************  
  
End Fourth Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS: None, really. Chapter five is coming quickly, though. 


	5. The Fifth Chapter

You Want Sango...

Fifth Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-yasha characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. Mm-hmm, that's right. :: wipes away a tear.::

BEE'S NOTE: My goodness gracious me! It's been how long since I've updated? Well, I must get on with it, then!

On with the story!

Chapter 5 -

Small Voices

"Sango!"

The voice seems like a distant dream. Sango faintly feels the pain thrumming through her body. The pain, too, just does not seem real. Her unfocused eyes stare into the stars--those silent, twinkling bodies above her. They are as distant and unreal to her as the call of her name and the pain wrapping around her body. Her dulled eyes continue to scan the skies, searching for the answers to her confusion, answers to what went wrong, answers to everything. 

What was that voice I heard?

Her heart begins crying, No, no, you didn't really hear the voice. It came from the wind, the fire, the wolf, even. It was not him; it was not Miroku. The stars chime in, Yes, that's right. Miroku is gone.

And she still does not know why. The stars never held any answers for her before. Why do they answer her now?

The pain continues to melt away as she thinks about what had happened. You were sleeping, the voice of her heart scratches. She mentally knods in response. Then I heard something. It woke me up. What was it?

The sound of howling, the stars answer. Two howls. 

Yes, I hid at the first. Kirara got hurt with the second. Oh, Kirara! Is she okay? Where is she? Not dead! Never!

But now, she interrupts the digression. Where am I now?

Her heart murmers, Now you are here--in the cold.

She ponders that. True, she is cold, but she does not feel the bite from the snow and the wind. She does not feel anything from her body. She only feels tears, dullness, and vague anger at the almost mocking indifference from the stars.

Inu-yasha, her mind sparks. She turns her head to see what is happening to him. She struggles, trying to focus her eyes. No. That's not him. He should not look like that. With a jolt of pain, her mind is thrown back to the reality that she is severly wounded. The lightning bolts thrashing her body become unbearabley surreal. The thick scent of her own blood confuses her mind, and a surge of fear strikes her body. 

Inu-yasha should not be a youkai.

She twists her head and looks at her bloodied hand. Three silent flakes fall into her curved palm and delicately melt away into red.

"Sango!!" sounds in her ears again, but her consciousness is slipping into nothingness--melting away like those wisps of snow. The stars slip back into her quick-dimming mind, chiming in coldly, There is nothing now but silence; nothing now but red.

But, she fights, it's... that voice again. His voice.

Her struggle against the stars comes too late. The darkness covers her completely. She slowly closes her eyes, her mind falling away from all thoughts and consciousness, leaving only the fleeting image of the scenery flying away from her.

Inu-yasha awakens, mind whirling, very disoriented. His body has reverted back to its normal form.

Wiping his mouth, he stares at the blood on his hand; it is not his own. He looks around for a clue as to whose blood it is. The snow, stained with dark blood, is trampled and violated with a dance of his prints and the prints of a large wolf. A memory flashes into his mind, manifesting the image of a white she-wolf attacking Sango. He turns to the scent of blood, the same scent of the blood from his hand. He traces the scent to the wolf lying silently under a thin layer of new snow, dead.

He growls a curse and stands with a stretch. Man, what happened? A shout from behind pricks his ears.

"Sango!!"

The hanyou turns hastily to see Miroku whisking Lady Sango away from a pool of blood, now cold. A pounding anger floods his mind. Before he can question why, he leaps after the monk, blocking his path.

"Where are you going?" Inu-yasha says quietly.

"Where's your sword, Inu-yasha?"

He poises his body, ready to strike. "Sango should not be touched," he warns in a deadly whisper.

"She's dying, you idiot!"

Inu-yasha tenses. "Not to be touched by you," he continues.

"But I can help her," Miroku says, putting Sango down into the snow.

Inu-yasha eyes narrow. "How can you help her? By running away? All because you saw something in my eyes?" The anger in his voice confuses him, but he cannot stop himself.

"Inu-yasha..."

Both males leap at the sound of a female's voice.

"Sango?"

She has not moved.

The voice calls again. It is Kagome. "H-help me."

The hanyou does not move. His mind will not let him move, and his body will not let him leave Sango.

End Fifth Chapter

BEE'S COMMENTS: Shame on me. Life happens, I guess. I'll try to update more often. Sorry again. 


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